Perfection Is a Myth. Growth Lives in the Messy Middle.

Have you ever spent 30 minutes writing and rewriting your text to someone, and then decided not to answer at all and deleted the whole thing?   

Or spent hours reworking the same email, presentation, or caption — not because it wasn’t good, but because it didn’t feel good enough to share yet?

You’re not alone.

And chances are, you’re not “lazy” or “bad at managing your time.”
You’re navigating something much deeper: the pressure to get it right.
The pressure to be right.

Why We Overthink and Overpolish

This urge to perfect often comes from our survival brain. It's the part of us wired to avoid rejection, mistakes, or anything that could be perceived as a “threat.”

In ancient times, this made sense.
Belonging was survival.

But today, this protective instinct shows up in more subtle ways:

• Fear of looking unprofessional

• Fear of being judged or misunderstood

• Fear of seeming weak, needy, or not intelligent or capable enough

When our nervous system associates imperfection with danger, we overcompensate:
We polish endlessly.
We overthink.
We hide.

A client once told me:

“I’m not exhausted from the work itself.
I’m exhausted from constantly worrying how I’m perceived.”

This kind of mental and emotional load is real, and it can quietly chip away at:

• Your confidence

• Your creativity

• Your capacity to show up with joy and presence

A Reframe to Anchor Into

You don’t have to have it all figured out right now.
It’s ok not to know everything.
It’s ok not to be perfect.

Perfection is a myth.
Imperfection is how we learn and grow.

Every stumble, pause, or messy draft is a part of the process.
Not a detour — but the way through.

Mini M.E. (Mental and Emotional) Fitness Practice (Reflect or Journal)

1. Where has perfectionism been holding you back lately?

2. What have you avoided starting or sharing because it didn’t feel “ready”?

3. What would your Wise self say to you right now?

And if you looked back at this moment 10 years from now…
What would you want to remember about it?

I'd love to hear from you:

What does imperfection look like in your journey right now — and what’s something brave you've done anyway?

If you found this helpful, feel free to share with someone who needs this reminder today.
You never know who’s stuck in the loop of overthinking, quietly waiting for permission to be human.

With care,
Lucie